From his rare vantage point as C.S. Lewis's student, friend, and professional colleague, John Lawlor recalls Lewis "in his habit as he lived." Here he gives us an unforgettable account of studying under Lewis and an enchanting depiction of undergraduate life at Oxford between the wars. Lawlor draws on the recollections of other associates of Lewis, including a close comparison with J.R.R. Tolkien, and offers an exposition of Lewis's science fiction and the Chronicles of Narnia, as well as an assessment of Lewis's neglected notion of "happiness," noting its links with 19th-century English romanticism.

"Lawlor offers insights into Lewis's personality and little-known details about already-known incidents through this memoir of his friendship with Lewis. (He was Lewis's student, friend, and professional colleague.) Enhanced by the inclusion of previously unpublished correspondence and a previously unpublished photo of Lewis just returned from World War II, this work provides a weighty assessment of Lewis's scholarship and ... defends Lewis from his critics—in this case the literary critics. This makes a welcome addition to Lewis biography."—Library Journal